Method of assembling toy or model vehicle and the so assembled vehicle



Sept. 2, 1969 R. w. SMALL 3,464,153

' METHOD OF ASSEMBLING TOY OR MODEL VEHICLE AND THE '50 ASSEMBLED VEHICLE Filed Jan. 30, 1967 20 f INVENTOR. 50? '1 F 2 Bfober/ w. Smal/ ATTOR EY United States Patent 3,464,153 METHOD OF ASSEMBLING TOY OR MODEL VEHICLE AND THE SD ASSEMBLED VEHICLE Robert W. Small, 1120 W. Collins St., Midland, Mich. 48640 Filed Jan. 30, 1967, Ser. No. 612,511 Int. Cl. A63h 17/26 U.S. Cl. 46223 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Members of a toy, miniature, display, or experimental vehicle are assembled, to make a sturdy general purpose vehicle that can be subsequently quickly disassembled as desired, by adhering, to mating or complementary areas of each member, a piece of fabric at least one of such pieces having extended flexible upstanding threads, formed in the shape of hooks and the other piece either being of the same type as the first piece but having hooks that are more-or-less at right angles to the hooks of the first piece or being a deep pile or nap so that when the two members to be assembled are brought into contact with each other in aligned mating relationship.

The invention relates to an improvement in static, pull, or propelled toy and model vehicles and more especially to an improved method of mounting the body to the chassis thereof and to the resulting body-chassis assembly.

It encompasses toy and model car and truck chassis and bodies whereby a truck body, e.g., a stock rack, panel body, merchandise or grain box, camper, fire engine, large moving van type body, cops and robbers type play cars, and racing cars of various body styles and designs, or the like can be removed from a chassis and another body of present interest placed readily on the same chassis. It encompasses particularly an improvement in mounting bodies to chassis of slot cars.

Slot cars are small-scale automobiles of racing car design used for competitive racing on small-scale tracks. Slot cars are carefully designed replicas of full-size racing cars of the type which participate in such international races as the Grand Prix, Le Mans, and Indianapolis 500 Memorial Day races. The size of slot cars varies but, in the more acceptable ones, the various essential parts are made to scale. More popular sizes are and of the size of the corresponding full-size racing car. 4 scale is known in the trade as HO scale.

Greater details on slot car design and slot car racing may be found in the literature, e.g., Popular Science of December 1964, pages 124 to 127, and of December 1966, pages 92 to 101 and the January 1967 issue of Ind Model Car & Track, published by Delta Magazines, Inc., 131 South Barrington Place, West Los Angles, Calif. Slot car racing is said to be familiar to 100 million Americans. It is precticed in homes, clubs, and amusement centers by people of greatly differing ages. Nationally known slot car centers are located at such .places as Denver, Colo. where the Walt Disney enterprises operate such a center and at West Henpsted, N.Y. where the american Broadcasting Company shares in the operation of another of such centers. The Ford Motor Company, the Chrysler Corporation and Aurora Plastics Corporation are actively promoting slot car racing. It is presently estimated that there are over 3000 commercial slot car racing centers in the United States.

Slot cars are operated on especially built tracks. The principal feature of such track is a two-wire electric rail unit positioned along the tracks length, one wire on ICC each side and parallel to a slot, parallel to the cars movement, patterned similarly to the live third rail which supplies electricity to trolley and subway cars. The rail unit comprises positive and negative fixed surface electric lines or wires, spaced apart and well insulated electrically except at the exposed surface of the wires. A single slot and rail unit serves a car. The wires of the rail are usually made of braided copper or aluminum mesh or strap. A track, as the term is frequently used, usually refers to a layout of two or more rail units, moreor-less parallel to each other, so that a plurality of cars may be operated simultaneously, each independently operated, to constitute a race.

Slot cars are propelled by a small electric motor, usually mounted in a well-balanced position just forward of the rear wheels. It may be transverse of the chassis (known in the art as a sidewinder) or longitudinal of the chassis (known as an in-line position). Electricity is conducted to the motor by means of a brush (sometimes called a flag) which makes continuous sliding or brushing contact with the electric wires of the rail, The brush or flag, like the wires of the rail, is usually made of braided copper or aluminum. It consists of two parts, substantially non-contacting halves, each half brushing an oppositely charged wire in the rail.

The flow of electricity to the rail, and hence to the car motor, is regulated by a manually operated rheostat. The rheostat may be secured to the edge of the track, to the floor, or to another convenient surface and be operated by a connecting foot pedal or hand lever. However, it most generally consists of an hand-held rhe-ostat unit commonly called a controller, which is provided with a trigger to accommodate ones index finger or a button to accommodate ones thumb. The controller is so constructed that it can be triggered in such manner as either to accelerate the speed or to reverse the current and brake the speed of the car.

The brush or flag is customarily located in the forepar-t of the car, usually extending some distance ahead of the front wheels. It is secured to the car, usually to the upper part of a drop guide which consists of a firm piece of electrically insulating material shaped to fit down in the slot. Lead wires to the motor make connections with the flag at the top of the drop guide. Extending back to a rigid cro-ss member beneath the car is a supporting arm which is engaged with the drop guide at the fore-end to provide horizontal pivotal movement and at the rear end with the cross member to provide vertical pivotal movement. The supporting arm is weighted or spring-tensioned so that a downward force is exerted against the drop guide and the brush thereby maintains contact with the electric rail on each side of the slot.

The front wheel assembly, including the steering mechanism, may be integral with the drop guide arm, and brush assembly so that the front wheels turn in accordance with the drop guide and brush. However, due to the light weight of the car and the tendency of the drop guide to remain in the slot, the car is maintained more-or-less centrally straddled of the slot without the front wheels actually being turned right or left as the drop guide pivots,

The car requires, in addition to the motor and means for providing power to it and braking and guiding means, the usual parts of a racing car. Locomotive power is transferred by a train of gears directly to the wheels, usually the rear wheels, although front-wheel and four-wheel drives are occasionally used. The drive wheels are provided with sponge material (usually especially compounded synthetic rubber with or without resinous components).

They provide wide contact with the surface of the track. Such tires are known as slicks. They must be well balanced and free of irregularities.

The chassis is usually made of magnesium or of a lightweight resin (plastic) such as Teflon, nylon, piano wire or copper turnings. The body is made of magnesium or of any very light-weight thin resin or plastic of at least moderate strength. A seat, steering wheel, head lights and simulated driver (none of which has practical significance but tends to give a realistic appearance and forms part of the over-all design) are usually required in regulation slot car racing.

A low weight to power ratio is essential for a good slot car. Anything that adds to the weight without a corresponding offsetting marked advantage is avoided.

Speed and endurance are essential elements in competitive racing. A race of any appreciable length requires stops for maintenance and repairs, known as pit stops. Almost invariably during a race of such nature, the body must be removed from the chassis. In conventional slot cars, this removal of the body necessitates taking out two small pins or screws from each side of the car which hold the chassis to the body, through what is usually known as the rocker panels of a car. After the repairs, adjustments, and the like have been made, the body and chassis are held in position and the screws are reinserted and tightened.

In most slot car races, the winning car is either the one which completes the most number of laps in a specified preset time or the one that completes a specified preset number of laps in the least time. In either instance, time consumed during pit stops must be kept at a minimum.

Removal and replacement of the screws takes time which is not directly related to the repair being made, even though superior coordination and team work are demonstrated. Furthermore, due to excitement, haste, distraction or unavoidable accident, one or more screws is occasionally dropped, thereby adding to the time taken at a pit stop.

The overall appearance of a slot car is a highly significant denominator in the art. Special prizes are awarded for advancements in design. Screw heads showing on the exterior are a detriment to the highly desirable smooth, stream line. A special event known as the Concours dElegance is regularly held wherein slot cars are judged purely on beauty, authenticity, and craftsmanship. To show the importance of eliminating unsightly screw heads, reference to Hows and Whys of Body Mounts in Ind Model Car Science, pages 42 and 43, (January 1967) published by Delta Magazines, Inc. is suggested.

A need exists for a more eflicient and effective way of securing the body to the chassis of toy vehicles, especially slot cars, whereby a variety of body styles may be alternately used on the same chassis and particularly where the body and chassis may be disassembled and reassembled quickly with resulting security and safety. A need exists for a vehicle that possesses this feature.

A need also exists for a more esthetic appearing vehicle.

A further need exists for a vehicle that may have major parts interchanged for display purposes. The invention meets these and related needs. For example, in addition to the application of the invention to moving vehicles, the invention has application to static vehicles, e.g., display models wherein the body can readily be changed on a given chassis, and particularly where the intricacies of design or mechanical structure are desired to be readily and convincingly displayed or demonstrated.

I have considered the use of such devices as magnets attached to either the body or chassis to mate with a piece of iron or steel. I have also considered longitudinal grooves and mating longitudinal members on the contacting areas of bodies and frames of chassis in sliding relationship. I have considered various clamps and snaps. Such considerations demonstrate some improvement over the screw means of attachment but do add undesirable weight to the car, detract from its appearance, or are not fully satisfactory in that a quick and solid attachment free from vibration or misplacement was not always attained.

The invention is predicated on the discovery of a method by which quick and secure attachment of body and chassis of toy vehicles can be made which is lightweight and all-around satisfactory for general use of toy and model vehicles and particularly for slot cars designed for competitive racing, and which thus assembled vehicle can be readily disengaged again, as desired; repeated engagement and disengagement is thereafter possible without impairment of the security performance, or safety of the vehicle.

The method of the invention comprises firmly adhering to members, e.g., the body and chassis, as by gluing, cementing, or the like, a piece of fabric having extended flexible upstanding threads, the terminal ends thereof being formed into hooks, of which the type known as Velvet type fabric, as described in the de Mestral United States Patent 2,717,437 is illustrative, to either the chassis or the body, as one member of such vehicle, and firmly adhering a piece of the same type fabric or of any loosely woven or relatively deep pile fabric to the mating portion of the contacting area of the other member and bringing the body and chassis members together in operable relationship whereby the hook-shaped terminal ends of the extended flexible threads become immeshed in the pile or corresponding hooks of the mating piece of fabric and provide firm, fixed engagement of the two members.

The body may be attached to special members of the chassis known as body mounts. Hereinafter such special members which are removable as desired with the fabric attached thereto, may be referred to as submembers. Body mounts may be slideably attached to the chassis or firmly attached by screws or quickly activated clamps.

One embodiment of the invention comprises adjustable, replaceable body mounts having a strip or piece of the attaching fabric securely adhered to the outer flanged portions thereof. Such body mounts can, therefore, be an independent commercial item for use with matching pieces of fabric on a variety of bodies.

The thus engaged pieces of fabric whether or not employing removable body mounts, can be disengaged by a firm pull which need be no greater than that which can be provided by a normal three or four-year old child.

The pieces of fabric can be of a size of anywhere from between about V and l or 2 inches in width to between about inch and several feet in length. For use in the practice of the invention, generally, and particularly for use in quick assembling of body and chassis of slot cars, mating pieces of from between about A and inch wide to between about 1 and 3 inches long are quite ample.

Especially good retention in the practice of the invention appears to be due to the excellent distribution of strain all along the faces of the mating pieces of fabric, there being no points of disproportionate pull as when attachment of members is at specific spots as is the case with mechanical attachments of the nature of screws. Therefore, despite collisions, derailment, and other mishaps that customarily occur during a slot car race, the body holds firmly to the chassis. The ease with which the two members so attached can be separated is much less (i.e., represents less force) than the total holding or adhesive force of the many immeshed small hooks because the force applied in the act of separation is applied automatically to but a portion of the total holding force at a time. The flexible car body permits one of the engaged fabrics to be more-or-less peeled off of the other one by a progressive, although very rapid, separation process. The attachment in accordance with the invention also provides excellent shock absorbing qualities to the car assembled as herein described.

The nature of the fabric required for the practice of the invention can best be understood by reference to the above-mentioned patent, presently owned by Velcro S.A., Fribourg, Switzerland, and obtainable under the trade name of Velcro.

In brief, the fabric comprises a basic foundation structure which includes a plurality of weft threads, a plurality of warp threads, and a plurality of auxiliary warp threads of a synthetic flexible resin material in the form of raised pile threads, the terminal portions of at least some of the raised pile threads being in the form of material-engaging hooks. A strong resinous material is preferred, e.g., nylon or Teflon for the raised pile threads.

The fabric is made, in a general way, by providing a relatively tight-woven preferably heavy gauge cloth base material which may be heated, as by being provided with electric wires (sometimes called bars) into the pile loops, heating the bars to cause the loops to form uniformly in the desired shapes, and cooling the fabric thus made. The loops so made are springy and relatively stiff. The loops are then cut, usually a small segment being removed along one side of a loop to leave an open hook at or near the terminal end.

The mating pieces of fabric may be identical. In such case, the strips of fabric are cut and positioned in a manner that the open portions of the hooks of one strip are at substantially right angles with the open portions of the hooks of the mating strip. However, engagement may be satisfactorily made, and in fact is often preferred for use in the invention, by employing any meshed cloth, as one of the pieces of fabric, which either is not too tightly woven and which has a pile thereon in which the hooks from the mating piece become entangled and immeshed but can be pulled out, without impairment of either piece of fabric, by a moderate direct pull, preferably starting at or near one end of the immeshed fabrics and progressing to the other end. As aforestated, it is to be understood that the pull necessary to separate the pieces of fabric is naturally applied successively (but rapidly) to but relatively small areas of the engaged pieces whereas to separate the pieces as by impact, where there is not such successive or peeling off process, a comparatively high force would be required.

By reference to the annexed drawing, the invention may be better understood.

FIGURE 1 shows the body 2 and chassis 3 of a slot car as members to be assembled, the body member being provided with a hook-bearing piece of fabric 4 and the chassis member with a pile-containing mating piece 6 for engagement of the hooks of 4 when the body and the chassis are brought together in operable relationship.

FIGURE 2 shows the assembled slot car unit with parts broken away in the area of attachment of chassis to body.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged view of that part of the body and the chassis to which the mating pieces of fabric are secured and which fabric pieces 4 and 6, interlock when the body and chassis are assembled.

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of electric rail assembly 8 shown with a track slot.

FIGURE 5 is a body mount 40 for slidable engagement into suitable guides in a chassis of a toy or model vehicle, having a piece of hook-bearing fabric 4 secured to the flanged outer part thereof, together with a piece of pile-containing mating fabric 6 adhered to rocker panels of a body of the vehicle.

Various other features and items of the apparatus of the invention are identified in the drawing by the following numbers:

Item 10 is one of two rear wheels and item 12 is one of two front wheels, each pair of wheel supporting transverse axles of customary design (not shown). Supporting frame 14 is shown extending longitudinally, having supporting members (not shown) secured in necessary operable relationship on the front rear axle. Item 16 is the end view of the transversely supported electric motor with spur gear 17 for engagement with a mating gear (not shown) which drive the rear axle.

Protruding out in front of the car is shown divided brush or flag 18. Brush-supporting drop guide 20 which serves as .a base therefor, is shown horizontally pivtially secured at the front end of supporting arm 22 which is vertically pivotally secured to a cross member of the frame of the chassis. The guide has lower extension 24 shown extending down and secured in slot 26 to hold the car on the track in guiding contacting relationship with the rail. Live electric lines 28 and 30 of the rail assembly are shown along with insulating separator material 32 in some detail in FIGURE 4. Leading from each divided part of brush 18 (in sliding contact with electric lines 28 and 30 separated by insulating material 32) are lead lines 34 and 36 to terminals of motor 16.

Body mount 40 of FIGURE 5 shows a subcombination of the invention whereby a piece of hook-bearing fabric, adhered thereto can be a separate article of commerce for quick replacement of the engaging means of the invention.

The invention is practiced by equipping, by firm unyielding adhesion, each of two members of a toy, miniature, or model vehicle, at complementary areas of each member, i.e., aligned areas, to be fastened together to make an integral operating unit in a minimum of time (but which, as occasion arises, can be disassembled) with mating pieces of the fabric hereinbefore described. Guide lines of contrasting color to that of the vehicle or raised ridges are suggested to be used on the members to be assembled so that exact alignment is quick and certain. The two members are then merely placed together with the fabrics in alignment. Only the very slight pressure applied on the parts to which the fabric pieces ar secured is sufficient, whereupon the small hook-shaped terminals of the raised stifi pile become immeshed i the softer pile of the mating fabric (or interlocked with similar hookshaped raised stiff pile preferably positioned at an angle approaching degrees). The use of replaceable body mounts, secured by locking screws or the like, having a piece of the hook-bearing fabric or mating deep pile fabric secured thereto, is especially recommended.

Any good cementitious material can be used to adhere the backs of the fabric pieces to the mating members of the vehicle, e.g., rubber cements, proteinaceous glues, and the like. A great number of synthetic resin cements, e.g., Pliobond, are very satisfactory. Epoxy resin containing a small but effective amount of a curing agent, e.g., an amine or Friedel Crafts catalyst is excellent for the purpose.

The vehicle is then ready for use, e.g., a slot car by which body and chassis are thus attached is ready for competitive racing. If, during use, as in such race, a need arises to service, repair, or examine the operation of the vehicle, the car may be stopped, the members quickly separated from each other, necessary repairs made, and by merely bringing the mating members in contact, reassembled and ready to continue in use.

The following example is illustrative of the practice of the invention. Two slot cars, A and B, of the same manufacture, quality, and design, are to be raced against each other following parallel slots in a track especially designed for the cars. The car which completes 1000 laps of the track first, i.e., in the least time, is to be acclaimed the winner. The means of securing each chassis to each body is optional. Otherwise the cars are substantially identical. Such secureness is made on car A by conventional means, as it came from the factory, viz., by means of two metal screws through each of the two rocker panels and threaded into the taps in the longitudinal beams of the frame. Car B is provided, instead of screws, with mating pieces of fabric of the type described hereinbefore, in accordance with the invention. The pieces for use in car B are cut from Velcro, /2 inch wide and 1% inches long. No screws are used in car B. The pieces on the chassis may be adhered to longitudinal beams of the frame, but are preferably adhered to the flanged faces of slideably adjustable replaceable body mounts as shown in FIGURE 5.

All necessary preparations for the race are made. Each car is controlled independently by competing operators. The starting signal is given. During each race, at least one pit stop is required to replace the rear slicks. One or more additional pit stops are likely for an unpredictable purpose, e.g., to adjust the flag, check wiring, or care for motor trouble. Tire changes and possibly the additional stops require removing the body from the chassis and returning it again. Car A, by test, requires an average time of one minute, fort-seven seconds to remove the body from the chassis, lay down the screws, pick them up, reinsert them and replace the body again. (Jar B requires an average time of 2 seconds to remove the body from the chassis and replace it again.

Since the other conditions are comparable, Car B is clearly likely to win the race.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A light-weight readily disassembled pull or propelled toy stationary, miniature, model or experimental vehicle comprising chassis and body units, said units being held in cooperating functional position by mating pieces of fabric, at least one of such pieces being adhered to an exposed face of one unit at a corresponding area in contact with the other unit when said vehicle is assembled, said fabric comprising a plurality of weft threads and a plurality of warp threads to constitute a basic structure and a plurality of auxiliary warp threads of a form of raised pile threads which are flexible and remain substantially upright in relation to said basic structure, said raised pile being in the form of material-engaging hooks and the other of said mating pieces of fabric being comprised of a pile into which said hooks are immeshed and which hold firmly thereto, thereby forming a means for quickly assembling said vehicle and which also permits quick disassembling as desired by hand pull.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein said vehicle is a slot car.

3. The vehicle of claim 2 wherein said piece of fabric on said chassis is adhered exteriorly on the exposed face of longitudinal frame beams and mates with a piece of fabric adhered to the inside of each of the rocker panels of said body.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein said piece of fabric on said chassis is adhered to the flanged face of a demountable body mount detachably secured to the frame of the chassis.

5. The method of assembling body and chassis members of toy pull, propelled or stationary miniature model, and experimental vehicles, for secure engagement of such members to each other, but which provides for ready disassembly as desired, which comprises adhering to at least a selected portion of the area of one of said members, which is required to be in firm contact with a specified mating area of the other of said members, a piece of fabric having a basic foundation structure of a plurality of weft threads, and a plurality of warp threads and a plurality of auxiliary warp threads of a synthetic resin in the form of rised pile flexible threads which remain substantially upright in relation to said basic foundation, the terminal portions of said raised pile threads being in the form of material-engaging hooks, adhering to at least a portion of said specified area of the other of said members a fabric having a pile for engaging said materialengaging hooks, and bringing the portions of the areas of the respective members of the vehicle into mating aligned position whereby the material-engaging threads of one piece of fabric engage the pile of the other piece of fabric to provide firm engagement until effort is exerted to pull apart the mating pieces of fabric.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein one of said pieces of fabric is secured to a submember which is removably secured to one of said members and a mating piece of fabric is secured to the matching area of the other of said members.

7. The method according to claim 5 wherein one of said members is the chassis and the other of said members is the body of a slot car.

8. The method according to claim 5 wherein one of said members is the chassis and the other of said members is the body of a toy motor truck.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1955 De Mestral 24-201 X 11/1967 Isaacson 46223 X 

